Daily Lesson for January 17, 2014

Today's Lesson is from John 2:3,4:

3 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” 4 And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come."

This may sound strange, but this story makes me think Jesus might have needed a little nudge into ministry.

Jesus, His disciples and His mother Mary have all come to Cana for the wedding. At some point the wine runs dry. Mary pulls her Son aside. “They have run out of wine,” she says.

Jesus’ eyes dart back and forth over His mother’s head. “Woman,” He whispers, “what business of our is that? My hour has not yet come.”

What Jesus means by His “hour” is important. In one respect He means the hour of his revelation—when the world shall know that He is the Messiah. But that hour of revelation is inextricably bound up with the hour of His death. Jesus knows that by turning the water into wine He will also be turning Himself down the path that will ultimately lead to His crucifixion.

I love Mary’s response. She doesn’t even bat an eye at Jesus’ rebuff. She simply turns and instructs the stewards to do whatever Jesus tells them. We get a sense that Mary is more than just a woman unwilling to take no for an answer. In a much more profound sense she is a mother unwilling to allow her Son to say no to the needs of the world.

Mary’s resolve has an effect on Jesus. He chooses to answer the call and step into His role as the one who provides—not only the wine, but also the salvation of the world.

When it came to ministry I was - in the immortal words of Bob Dylan - "a slow train coming". In fact, I didn't really want to become a preacher, but had my mind set on becoming a lawyer instead.

Just as I was preparing to go off to law school, my grandfather passed away. I delivered the eulogy at his memorial service and after the service my mom came up to me with tears in her eyes. After hugging me she pulled back and looked me squarely in the face. “Are you sure you’re not supposed to be a preacher?” she asked.

“No,” I said sheepishly. “I’m not sure.”

It is those closest to us—our mothers, and fathers, and spouses and friends—who know us well enough to question the assumptions we make about our lives. They help us to see where the world most needs us. In the end they, like Mary, help us to see that though our hour may not yet have come, it is coming.

If you know somebody who has a gift to give that the world could use go ahead and give them a nudge. You can help them to see that though their time has not yet come, it's coming.